2015 Newsletter 07.02.2015 - Texas House of Representatives

 District 127 - Session Wrap Up
July 2, 2015
Dear Fellow Texan,
First of all, thank you for subscribing to my newsletter. This email is the best way to
keep in touch with what's going on up at the Texas Capitol, across Texas, and in the
best House District in Texas -- District 127; the place we call home.
While being up in Austin on a full-time basis for six months was hard work, I will
miss all of my colleagues as we travel home to various corners of the state. I am
grateful to have spent time with my friends and fellow legislators to make sure that
we're creating a better Texas for you and your family. That being said, coming home
to the district is something I've been looking forward to for several months. Now that
summer's finally here, my wife, Janet, and I have been enjoying spending quality time
with our kids, Brianna, Ryan, and Dylan.
This session, I was able to serve on the House Public Education, State Affairs, and
Calendars committees. I was also provided the opportunity to chair my own
subcommittee, under the Public Education committee. The subcommittee on
Educator Quality was able to meet throughout session to focus on teacher quality and
evaluation, and it was my honor to pass several bills out of the subcommittee that
addressed key teacher quality issues. It was a massive work load, but it allowed me to
have my hand in several different policy areas around the Legislature.
This newsletter contains a lot of information about what was covered by the Texas
House of Representatives and the Texas Senate this session. There were several long
nights, but the two chambers were able to accomplish so much. This session, we
passed a conservative budget that stayed well under the growth of the state's
population and provides benefits to the areas we need it most. We were also able to
put an additional $800 million dollars toward border security. We passed legislation
with the purpose of protecting our children, helping our veterans, and cutting taxes
for Texans. Now that the "pink dome" is noticeably quieter, legislators and staff are
in a time of reflection to understand how these new laws are going to affect our
individual districts. This newsletter will give you a thorough picture the laws that
Governor Abbott signed and how they will affect you and your family.
If you have questions about specific policy areas, or need anything at all, please do
not hesitate to contact me or my staff. Our contact information can be found at the
bottom of this email. We're always happy to help you.
I wish you a Happy Independence Day, and I hope to see you at the events
happening around District 127 this weekend.
Sincerely,
Dan Huberty
So… How'd it Go?
Legislative Stats
Huberty Stats
House Bills
House and Senate Bills
Filed
6,476
Sent to the Governor
1,323
Signed by the Governor
1,119
Vetoed by the Governor
41
Filed without the Governor's
signature
163
House and Senate Joint Resolutions
Authored
36
Signed by the Governor
6
Vetoed by the Governor
0
Joint Authored
19
Signed by Governor
3
0
Filed
200
Vetoed by Governor
Filed with the Secretary of State
7
House Resolutions
House and Senate Concurrent Resolutions
Filed
174
Filed with the Secretary of State
15
Sent to the Governor
85
Signed by the Governor
85
Vetoed by the Governor
1
Authored and Joint Authored
32
Enrolled
32
Senate Bills
Sponsored (Including Joint)
11
Signed by the Governor
5
Vetoed by the Governor
0
Total Bills Passed
14
Policy Focus
While there were several policy areas that Rep. Huberty focused on this session, the major policy areas that
originated out of his office were prekindergarten and annexation. While Rep. Huberty had his hand in several
policy areas that came though the various committees on which he serves, these two bills had the potential
for the biggest impact for Texas. These major bills were great for our district, as well as our entire state. You
can read briefly about Rep. Huberty's Policy Focus below:
Prekindergarten (House Bill 4)
In Texas currently, there are various public, state-funded prekindergarten programs; however, it has come to
the attention of the legislature that there is no real quality control for these programs. The state has seen no
real improvement in these programs over the years, and it was accordingly named one of Governor Greg
Abbott's emergency items in his State of the State address. Rep. Huberty worked closely with Governor
Abbott to ensure that the Legislature reached a compromise that provides disadvantaged families with the
opportunity to begin education early in the public education system. H.B. 4 establishes a high-quality prekindergarten
program for public schools in Texas that must meet
certain requirements, including data transparency,
teacher certification, curriculum standards, and parent
engagement. The bill directs the Commissioner of the
Texas Education Agency to establish, by rule, a grant
funding program under which funds are awarded to
school districts and open-enrollment charter schools
which meet the quality standards established by the
bill. In order to qualify as a high-quality
prekindergarten the district's program must include the
prekindergarten guidelines established by the agency,
Governor Abbott and Representative Huberty
measure the progress of students in meeting the
and staff celebrating
recommended learning outcomes, and not use national
the signing of House Bill 4. curriculum standards adopted by the Common Core
State Standards Initiative. This is purely an opt-in program, which establishes the framework for
prekindergarten in Texas.
Annexation
In Representative Huberty's home district, the residents of
Kingwood did not get a say or a vote when they were
forcefully annexed and brought into Houston in the 1990s.
Forced annexation, be it traditional annexation or limitedpurpose annexation, gives complete authority to a city and
no authority to unincorporated residents. Cities end up
treating forced annexation as a way to extract revenue from
unwilling residents, who chose to live outside the city in the
first place.
Representative Huberty and Senator Phil
Gramm on the Texas House of Representatives
Floor.
earlier this year. House Bill 2221 attempted to prevent the unauthorized
annexation of an area without the consent of property
owners. This bill would not have prevented cities from
being able to annex. Instead, it would have ensured that
property rights were protected by allowing proposed
annexation areas to have a say in their own future. Under
the plan laid out in the bill, a majority of the property owners must vote to allow annexation in order for a
city to annex that area. If a majority of property owners do not vote in favor of annexation, then the city may
not annex the area for at least one year. However, if the residents of a proposed annexation area give consent
to be annexed, the annexation moves forward more quickly than it currently does. This reduces overhead
while giving annexation-area residents the chance to participate. Texas has fallen behind other states with
regards to annexation reform. According to Huberty, and after many years of talking about such reform, it
was finally time to act to ensure that unincorporated property owners’ rights are protected and that they have
a voice in the process.
On May 14, 2015, the last day for the House of Representatives to consider new bills, H.B. 2221 came up for
debate. Rep. Huberty had the support of several members, as well as support of former U.S. Senator Phil
Gramm. There were several legislators of several big cities that wished to continue annexing unincorporated
areas without the consent of the people living in those areas, but Rep. Huberty fought diligently to protect
other Texans from experiencing what Kingwood experienced in the 1990s. Ultimately, the bill was killed by a
point of order, but Rep. Huberty and his staff are already working to bring up the issue again next session.
(Please keep in mind that these bills are not the only bills that Rep. Huberty championed. There will be more in detail about the
other bills he filed in upcoming newsletters.)
Top 10 Talking Points
from the 84th Legislative Session
1) Public Education
This session, there were several meaningful
measures addressed in the public education
committee. From early education, to graduation
requirements, the committee was able to pass
significant reform to provide a quality education to
our students. Additionally, important strides were
made in the areas of School Finance and
Standardized testing.
Kingwood High School via Kingwood Alumni.
School Finance
The Chairman of the House Public Education
Committee, Jimmie Don Aycock (R-Killeen), filed H.B. 1759 in order to circumvent the anxiouslyanticipated Supreme Court decision on school finance.
School districts in Texas allege that the Legislature inadequately and unequally distributes funds to
various districts across the state, following the $5 billion cuts during the 82nd Legislative Session. A
Travis Country district judge ruled in the districts' favor, and the state appealed the lawsuit to the
Texas Supreme Court, which is expected to be heard later this year.
The bill, which died on the House Floor after Aycock decided to pull it down, was intended to be a
conversation starter. The plan would reduce the number of districts that are required to send money
back to the state under the "recapture" program. The bill would also remove the "Cost of Education
Index" which gives districts extra money based on characteristics that vary from district to district.
Although the bill was pulled down by the author, it created a very healthy discussion about our
current system of school finance, and the need for overhaul, regardless of the Texas Supreme Court's
decision. The decision is expected late next year.
Standardized Testing
Additionally, the Legislature focused on reducing
further the amount of standardized tests required by
each school. During the 83rd Legislative Session, the
legislature focused on reducing end of course exams and
standardized testing for high school students, and this
session, they focused on elementary through middle
school students.
Representative Huberty filed H.B. 743 which require
STAAR Logo via Dallas ISD. that assessment instruments be designed so that 85
percent of the students in grades 3 through 5 complete
the assessment in 120 minutes and 85 percent of the students in grades 6 through 8 complete the
assessment in 180 minutes. This bill was well supported by both the House and the Senate, and will
drastically reduce the amount of pressure on the students during the testing that are required to
undergo.
H.B. 1164 further reduced STAAR testing by getting rid of the two writing assessments for students
in grades 4 and 7.
Finally, S.B. 149 by Senator Kel Seliger, sponsored by Rep. Huberty on the House side, creates
alternative methods to satisfy high school graduation requirements. This bill applies to current 11th
and 12th grade students (the first two cohorts that were administered the STAAR test) and is
designed to prevent a dropout crisis, and to evaluate the whole student, rather than the student's
Standardized Test or End of Course Exam scores. Members of the graduation committee will
evaluate the student's progress and academic achievements beyond the scope of the STAAR test and
make a determination if the individual should be afforded grade promotion or to graduate. In
addition, the bill requires that assessment instruments be determined to be valid and reliable based on
empirical evidence by an entity independent of the TEA and test developer before being
administered. This bill was an essential step in correcting the over-testing of our students. During
testimony, there were several accounts of students with stellar SAT/ACT scores, and even
scholarships to universities that weren't able to graduate due to the test-fatigue of years past.
2) Tax Relief
Along with a balanced budget, the Texas Legislature was able to pass several pieces of legislation that will
provide significant tax relief for businesses and all Texans. S.B. 1 increases the homestead exemption for
school property tax from $15,000 to $25,000 beginning with the 2016 tax year, effectively returning $1.24
billion to Texas taxpayers. The bill also prohibits a school district, municipality or county from repealing
an optional homestead exemption before the 2020 tax year. S.B. 1 will take effect only if voters approve
the constitutional amendment proposed by S.J.R. 1 on November 3, 2015.
In addition, S.B. 1760, which passed with overwhelming support in both chambers, will make a number
of important changes to the Property Tax Code to increase transparency and promote efficiency in the
property tax system. S.B. 1760 requires an affirmative vote of at least 60 percent of the governing body of
a local taxing unit that wishes to exceed the effective tax and requires local taxing units to justify the
necessity of a tax increase on notices and election ballots. The bill also requires the Comptroller to
publish an annual ranking of local tax rates in Texas, from the highest rate to the lowest. Property tax
relief was one of the biggest issues that the legislature wanted to address in the 84th legislative session.
The passage of both of these bills was a huge victory for all conservative Texans.
3) Higher Education
It was a great session for Higher Education funding! The State Budget increases funding by 7.5
percent, providing an additional $1.5 billion from the current two-year funding period. $40 million
was also put into the Governor’s University Research Initiative, a new fund created to attract top
researchers to public Texas universities. Additionally, H.B. 100 authorizes $3.1 billion in capital
construction bonds for public institutions of higher education.
High School students were also afforded the opportunity to take as many dual credit courses that they
wish to take. H.B. 505 repeals an Education Code provision prohibiting a high school student from
enrolling in more than three dual credit courses at a junior college if the junior college does not have a
service area that includes the student's high school. The bill also amends the Education Code to
prohibit certain limitations on the number of dual credit courses or hours in which a high school
student may enroll as part of a college credit program. This bill will allow students to get ahead in
their college careers while still in high school.
4) Transportation
I-10, 1-45 interchange via Wikipedia. Each Session, Transportation is always a heated topic of
debate, but this session there were select measures passed by
the Texas Legislature to move toward better funding, better
use of funds, and meaningful changes for our communities.
Senate Joint Resolution 5 proposes a constitutional
amendment to take effect in 2018 that will dedicate a
portion of general sales tax revenue to the State Highway
Fund. This would dedicate up to $2.5 billion annually to the
state highway fund. This joint resolution provides a stable
revenue source to address the state's transportation needs
without raising taxes or fees. It is important to note that
these funds are not to be used for toll roads.
Additionally, H.B. 20 provides necessary oversight, transparency, and accountability to ensure that the
Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) maximizes the effectiveness of the resources we have
provided. Under this measure TxDOT is required to develop a performance-based planning and
programming process that will allow the legislature to assess how well they are achieving their goals. It
also requires the Transportation Commission to establish a scoring system to prioritize projects seeking
state funding. Finally, temporary House and Senate select committees in order to provide oversight as the
provisions of the bill are implemented.
5) Border Security
Border Security was declared an Emergency Item by Governor Greg Abbott in his State of the State
address. Because of this, the Legislature passed multiple bills to ensure that our Texas borders are
secure to prevent illegal immigration, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and other illegal activities.
The following bills have been signed into law by Governor Abbott, and will go into effect September
1 of this year.
•
•
•
House Bill 11: Allows for the hiring of 250 new DPS troopers; establishes a transnational
intelligence center on the border to analyze crime data and to serve as a real-time, aroundthe-clock intelligence hub for state and local law enforcement agencies; creates a new
offense for smuggling if a person knowingly transports or harbors someone in the country
illegally for profit; requires DPS to form a plan to establish southbound checkpoints on
international bridges to search for weapons, contraband, and bulk cash.
Senate Bill 374: Requires state agencies and public universities to use the E-Verify system
to protect against the hiring of those who are in the country illegally.
House Bill 12: Establishes a Border Prosecution Unit, which will facilitate cooperation
among prosecutors, provide investigative assistance, and develop best practices for the
investigation of border crimes.
6) Veterans Affairs
This session, there were several measures introduced to make lives easier for the Americans that have
given the most for our country: our Veterans. H.B. 437, filed by Rep. Raney (R-Bryan), would allow
people coming back to jobs at state agencies following
military service to receive benefits without the current
waiting period. This bill is an important step in
reminding our Texas veterans that they are supported
back home, and that we are doing everything we can to
facilitate their transition back to their everyday lives.
Additionally, H.B. 19, focuses on the mental health of
our veterans. The bill strengthens the network of
preventative services and mental health resources
Gov. Rick Perry signing the "Chris Kyle Bill" in
available to military members, veterans, and their
2013.via U.S. Air National Guard by Staff Sgt.
families. We've seen an increase of the focus on mental
Phil Fountain. health of our veterans over the past few years, and this
session, Governor Abbott named February 2 to be named "Chris Kyle Day," in honor of Chris Kyle,
a Texan who inspired the movie American Sniper, who fell victim to a fellow veteran suffering from
mental anguish.
In order to support communities affected by large amounts of military service, Senate Bill 503
authorizes the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office to provide loans for economic
development projects to communities affected by base reduction or base realignment. This is an
important step in ensuring that communities remain supported, when its members are serving
overseas and risking their lives for Americans back home.
7) States' Rights
There were several concurrent
resolutions filed in both the House and
the Senate in order to protect our state
from over-invasion from the federal
government. H.C.R. 67 and S.C.R. 1,
filed by Rep. Huberty and Senator
Brandon Creighton would allow the
state to protect its own sovereignty
under the 10th Amendment of the U.S.
Constitution.
While neither of these resolutions were
able to make it to the Governor's desk,
they were important steps in reaffirming
The Gonzales Flag, a replica
the necessity for states' rights to be
via Gallery of the Republic. protected in the United States. We have
seen several instances of federal overreach in the last few years, including the Affordable Care Act,
the Real I.D. Act, EPA's Environmental Protection Plan, federal blocking of the Keystone XL
pipeline, and the Bureau of Land Management's claims to new land. Stopping federal overreach is an
essential step in ensuring that the specific needs of Texans are met in ways that will truly affect
change. 8) Open Carry and Second Amendment Rights
Advocacy group, Open Carry Texas, at the Capitol.
Photo: Tom Wiseman, Texas Tribune via KERA
News.
Second Amendment rights were a huge focus of
this session. The two major foci of this issue
settled on the open carrying of handguns and
the concealed carrying of handguns on college
campuses. H.B. 910 allows for the licensed,
open carrying of hand guns. Texans wishing to
open carry are required to obtained a concealed
weapons permit, which requires individuals to
pass a background check and demonstrate
handgun proficiency. Private businesses' rights
are still protected in that they can prevent or
restrict the open carrying of handguns on their
premises.
Additionally, S.B. 11 authorizes the concealed carrying of handguns on public college campuses. The
universities are permitted to establish rules, regulations, or other provisions concerning the storage of
handguns in forms and other residential facilities owned or operated by the university. Students that
wish to concealed carry are still required to obtain a permit from the State of Texas.
9) Pro-Life
Several bills were passed this session to ensure the funding of alternatives to abortion, and the
defunding of Planned Parenthood and other organizations providing abortions to women in the state.
House Bill 3994, effective January 1, 2016, limits the ability for minors to surpass parental consent to
receive an abortion. This measure is an extremely important step in ensuring that Texan minors are
protected, while simultaneously protecting parental rights of those minors.
H.B. 3374, effective September 1, 2015, will ensure that parents are given as much information as
possible on how to raise a child with Down Syndrome if the prenatal tests indicate that the unborn
child is at high risk for Down Syndrome. This bill is a victory both for the champions of Pro-Life
and Special Needs policies by ensuring that our most at-risk population is able to live happy, healthy
lives. This bill passed both the Texas House and Senate unanimously.
Finally, H.B. 3074, effective September 1, 2015, clarifies the current Texas Advanced Directives Act
to improve patient care by providing the basic human rights, of food and water, to patients that
cannot speak for themselves. This would prevent incidents of patients being robbed of food and
water with no medical standard for their withdrawal. This bill also passed unanimously through both
chambers.
10) Pastor Protection
G
ov. Greg Abbott signs S.B. 2065 into law .
Photo: Marjorie Kamys Cotera via The Texas
Tribune.
This session, the Texas Legislature passed a statutory
measure to protect pastors from performing marriage
ceremonies or participate in celebrations of marriage that
contradict their personal, sincerely-held religious beliefs.
Senate Bill 2065, effective immediately, also protects
clergy and houses of worship from lawsuits or criminal
prosecution if they refuse to marry any couple, based
upon their religious beliefs. This legislation was in
response to several pastors in Houston that were
subpoenaed and were required to overturn their religious
sermons, texts, and materials to city governments. This
is a great victory for religious freedom in Texas.
During the state affairs hearing on April 22, 2015, testimony was heard on H.B. 3567, the identical
bill to S.B. 2065. During this testimony, the committee heard from pastors and clergy all across the
state expressing their need for protection from judicial proceedings that contradict their religious
freedoms. The passage of S.B. 2065 will guarantee the protection of clergy across the state and will
continue to ensure that religious institutions are protected by the law to express their religious beliefs.
House Bill 1:
The Budget and What It Means for You
The Basics
The 2016-2017 Texas State Budget amounts to $209.4 billion. This represents a growth of 3.6% from
the 2014-2015 biennium. H.B. 1 stays well beneath the constitutional spending caps, and keeps the
budget below what would be necessary to amount for population and inflation increases.
Additionally, $11 billion was left in the state's Rainy Day Fund, to ensure that Texas remains
financially stable in the event of unforeseen occurrences. The bill also appropriates several billion
dollars to specific policy areas which are outlined in the Breakdown below.
The Breakdown
•
Public Education: Fully funds our classroom enrollment growth and adds an additional $1.5
billion to public education funding.
•
Transportation: Uses all of the money in the State Highway Fund for transportation instead of
using some of those dollars for other programs, effectively increasing transportation funding by
more than $1 billion for each biennium.
•
Border Security: Provides $840 million for border security and allows for hiring of 250 new
Department of Public Safety troopers.
•
Protecting Children: Funding for Child Protective Services increased by $332 million to address
serious challenges in protecting abused children.
•
Behavioral Health: Funding for behavioral health and substance abuse is increased by $244
million.
•
All-Funds Budget:
•
o
Public Education All Funds (General Revenue Funds + General Revenue Dedicated +
Federal Funds + Other Funds) appropriations total $54.5 billion for the 2016–17
biennium, an All Funds increase of $2.9 billion, or 5.6 percent from the 2014–15
biennium.
o
The All Funds increase is primarily attributable to $1.5 billion in Foundation School
Program (FSP) funding in excess of amounts estimated to be necessary to fund current
law obligations and an additional $1.2 billion for the FSP contingent on property tax
relief providing an equivalent reduction in local property taxes.
General Revenue Funding:
o
General Revenue Fund appropriations for the FSP total $35.5 billion, a $3.8 billion, or
12.3 percent, increase from the 2014–15 biennium.
o
The General Revenue Fund amount reflects an increase of $2.6 billion to replace lower
estimated Property Tax Relief Fund revenue (Other Funds) due to franchise tax relief,
$1.2 billion in property tax relief, and $1.5 billion in additional funding for schools,
partially offset by a lower state cost to fund current law compared to the 2014–15
biennium.
2016-17 State Budget - Total Spending $209.4 Billion
Constituents at the Capitol
This Session, there were several constituents and groups of constituents that came to the
Capitol to visit Rep. Huberty and his staff. Rep. Huberty and his team all agree that having a
bit of home come to the work place is the fuel they all need to get through the long nights
and heated debates. Here are a few pictures of some of the visits this session.
Thank you to all who came up to visit. Representative Huberty with members of Kingwood Area Republican Women - KARW
at the Texas State Capitol for Governor Greg Abbott's Inaguration on January 20, 2015.
Rep. Huberty visiting with the
Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce
members on February 17, 2015.
The Leadership North Houston program with Sen.
Bettencourt, Rep. Huberty, and Lieutenant
Governor Dan Patrick on February 19, 2015.
The Humble ISD Council of PTAs and Rep.
Huberty on February 25, 2015. The council
discussed #BackTheFuture with legislators and
staff across the Capitol.
M
embers of the Humble ISD ATPE in Rep. Huberty's office, down
in the Capitol Extension on February 23, 2015.
Several members of Texas American Federation of
Teachers (AFT) from Humble Independent School
District meeting with Rep. Huberty at the Capitol
on March 9, 2015.
The Atascocita High School Orchestra and Choir performed
in the Rotunda at the Texas Capitol on March 19, 2015.
The performance was for tourists, legislators, and staff.
Huffman ISD Trustee Matt Dutton and his kids, Matthew and
Hannah, visited the Texas Capitol on March 19, 2015. The
Dutton family came by the office to say hello to the
Representative and his staff.
Rep. Huberty and Senator Brandon Creighton
with members of the Kingwood Area Republican Women
(KARW) on Texas Federation of Republican Women (TFRW)
Day at the Texas Capitol, on April 16, 2015.
March 23, 2015, The Texas House of
Representatives remembered the life of Dr. Jane
Nelson with House Resolution 539. Dr. Nelson's
family are seen here on the House Floor with Rep.
Huberty.
Rep. Huberty with the family of Barbara Jordan at
the Texas House of Representatives to celebrate
her life with HR 1174, on April 16, 2015.
Woodland Hills Elementary Fourth Graders with Rep. Huberty
while they toured the Texas Legislature at the Capitol on May 19, 2015.
Miss Morgan Ellis served as an Honorary Page in the Texas House of Representatives
with Rep. Huberty on May 21, 2015. She was able to help facilitate debate between the representatives,
meet the Speaker of the House Joe Straus, and help the House Sergeants
with their duties while the House was in session.
Family Focus
The Huberty family is so glad that summer is finally here and to have Rep. Huberty back in District
127 on a full-time basis. Now that school's out and that the 84th Legislative Session has wrapped up,
the Huberty family wasted no time in spending the quality time together that they missed these past
six months.
Happy Father's Day
and Birthday, Dan
Legislative Day at Schlitterbahn
L-R: Brianna, Ryan, Rep. Huberty, and Dylan
ABOVE: Representative Huberty and his children
on June 21, Rep. Huberty's birthday and Father's
Day. It was a day of celebration for the Huberty
family. Pictured are Rep. Huberty and his three
children.
Rep. Huberty and Janet Huberty
RIGHT: Texas Legislators and Staff were invited to
Schlitterbahn, in New Braunfels, TX, by Rep.
Huberty's colleague Rep. Doug Miller. The Huberty
family was able to get some fun in the sun, and spend
time with other Legislators and their families.
Ryan and Dylan Huberty at Schlitterbahn
Brianna's Trip to California
Brianna had to unfortunately miss the Schlitterbahn
trip with the family, but she was able to go with one of
her best friends, Nadia, to California! Here she is at
Universal Studios and the Hollywood sign!
Upcoming Independence Day Events
Raffas Fourth of July Celebration
Join in on a night of patriotic festivities with Raffas Waterfront Grill in Kings Harbor. On Friday, July 3,
there will be live music provided with Elvis tribute artist, Vince King, starting at 6:30 p.m. and a fireworks
display will begin at 9:30 p.m. off of the pier. Outdoor patio seating is available and reservations are
recommended. For more information or to make a reservation call 281-360-1436.
Fishing Rodeo
The fishing rodeo is from 6–7:30 a.m. July 4 at the corner of Kingwood Drive and Forest Garden at Foster’s
Mill Pond. Children 15 and younger are invited to bring fishing gear and poles. Trophies will be awarded. No
registration is required.
Kingwood Parade
Lineup for the parade begins at the corner of Feather Lakes and West Lake Houston Parkway at 7 a.m
Saturday, July 4. Float judging will begin at 9 a.m. The parade will kick off at 10 from Creekwood Middle
School on Sandy Forks. The parade will end when all of the participants reach Kingwood High School. For
more information, contact Cindy Higgins at 281-793-4146 or Tom Rushin at 713-715-9319 or email
[email protected].
Forest Cove Fourth of July Parade
Lineup for the parade will be at 9 a.m. and the parade will start at 10 a.m. July 4 in front of the Forest Cove
Community Center. Adult tickets will cost $10 and $5 for kids under 10. Along with the parade, there will be
outdoor games for kids, live music and raffle prizes. Barbecue and desserts will be served at 12 p.m. For more
information, contact Marian Burrows at 281-358-3033.
Flag Retirement Ceremony
Boy Scout Troop 839 from the First Presbyterian Church of Kingwood will be performing a U.S. and Texas
flag retirement ceremony July 4. The ceremony will take place at the Town Center flag pole at 4:30 p.m. Drop
off all old Texas and U.S. flags at the Alspaugh's Ace Hardware stores in Kingwood or The Woodlands, or at
any Rosewood Funeral Home. After the ceremony, the flags will be taken to Rosewood Funeral Homes to be
incinerated in the crematorium.
Alspaugh's Street Dance
Kingwood Family Street Dance at Alspaugh's Ace Hardware, 2720 West Lake Houston Parkway, is returning
again this year. The food service will begin at 6 p.m. Coolers and lawn chairs are welcome.
Kingwood Town Center Festival and Fireworks
Saturday, July 4, from 2–9 p.m., a festival and fireworks display will be held outdoors in the park. There will
be live music including performances by That 70's Thing, and Thunder featuring Denny Hair on drums.
There will also be arts and crafts, food and beverages, and bounce castles for the kids. The event will end
with a fireworks display. For more information, contact Mike Ibanez at 713-419-4574 or by email at
[email protected]. Streets around the park will be closed, so attendees should plan to park
accordingly.
We Hope to See You There!
Contact Information
Staff Contact
Capitol
Office
Casey Christman, Chief of Staff
[email protected]
Physical
Address:
1100 Congress
Avenue
E2.722
Austin, TX
78701
Ben Melson, Legislative Director
[email protected]
Molly Spratt, Legislative Aide
[email protected]
Bryan Shea, District Intern
[email protected]
Ryan Fraissinet, Capitol Intern
[email protected]
Mailing
Address:
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX
78768
Phone:
(512) 463-0520
Fax:
(512) 463-1606
District Office
Physical/Mailing Address:
4501 Magnolia Cove
Suite 201
Kingwood, TX 77345
Phone:
(281) 360-9410